What was going on when I was born?

An article on the Style page on Saturday gave an incorrect price for a massage at Elizabeth Arden. The cor- rect price is $30.

With some rebates and incentive programs expiring, sales of new cars by the Big Three auto makers for the last 10 days in September fell by nine-tenths of 1 percent, the companies reported today. Ford, however, recorded a 41.8 percent increase in the final September selling period, mostly because its 1982 cars sold far better than 1981 models did when they were introduced in late September of last year. Rebates helped the Ford sales, analysts said. Based on the daily selling rate, General Motors sales were down 11.1 percent in the Sept. 21-31 period and Chrysler's were up 1.3 percent.

FOR many years it has been suspected that certain weather conditions, notably such hot, dry winds as the foehn in Europe, the sharav in Israel and the Santa Ana in southern California, affect people's mood and health, even precipitating suicides, crimes and accidents. One controversial explanation -electrification of the atmosphere by positive ions - has now acquired greater plausibility through a series of experiments on volunteers at New York University. The findings, the researchers said, ''are potentially quite important, as atmospheric charge is a fundamental part of the air we breathe.'' ''Since altered ion concentrations can result not only from changes in weather conditions but also from the presence of pollutants, highvoltage lines, and radioactivity,'' they said, ''the possibility of far-reaching implications emerges.''

Edward I. Koch may have secured both the Democratic and Republican nominations for re-election next month as Mayor of New York City, but he ran into a blast of opposition today from one of the world's most powerful newspapers, Izvestia. The official newspaper of the Soviet government told its readers that an election in which the two major political parties backed the same man exposed American democracy as a sham. In reality, the paper said, Mr. Koch was a ''stooge of big business.''

BARRY GOLDENSOHN, a poet on the faculty of Hampshire College, was reading a poem early this year and came across lines that jarred his credulity. ''. .. there are now more of us/Alive than ever have been dead,'' William Matthews had written in a poem published in the periodical, ''Vegetable Box 4.'' Could this be true? Mr. Goldensohn asked a colleague, Dr. Arthur H. Westing, professor of ecology and dean of natural science at the college i n Amherst, Mass. No, Dr. Westing rep lied, and after several weeks of research and calculations he arrived at an estimate of how many humans have ever lived: 50 billion.

A city-backed plan that has long been regarded as a key feature in the protracted efforts to revitalize the South Bronx has been rejected by the Reagan Administration. In a decision that was reached last week but has not yet been announced, the Federal Economic Development Administration denied developers a $12.4 million loan guarantee that would have been used to build facilities for truckers in the Hunts Point area. That decision, in turn, has jeopardized a $2.4 million grant that had already been approved conditionally. ''We are not happy about this at all,'' said Karen N. Gerard, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. ''This is three years old, it's been through umpteen approvals, and they actually questioned the project per se.''

Meets at 10:30 A.M. and 3 P.M. General Committee - 10 A.M. Economic and Financial Committee - 3 P.M. Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee - 10:30 A.M. and 3 P.M. Administrative and Budgetary Committee - 10:30 A.M. and 3 P.M. Legal Committee - 10:30 A.M. and 3 P.M. Preparatory Committee for the Second Special Session of the General Assem- bly Devoted to Disarmament - 11:30 A.M. and 3 P.M.

As part of its effort to salvage the Awacs sale to Saudi Arabia, the Reagan Administrati on has become involved in a confrontation with Israel and its Americ an supporters that could have serious implications for future Un ited States policy in the Middle East. Less than a month after Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel was effusively praised by President Reagan at the White House, a chill has settled over Israeli-American relations. The White House has publicly and privately let it be known that if the $8.5 billion package of aid for the Saudis fails on Capitol Hill, Israel and its American backers should assume a considerable amount of responsibility. Whether this would be followed by any curbs on American aid for Israel, or by a re-examination of Administration policy toward the area, cannot be ascertained now. But some Israelis and American supporters of Israel believe that the Administration at least wants them to be aware of that possibility.

Mexico's '82 election: All over but the shouting A2 Sudanese, dispersing power, disband parliaments A3 Britain seems to succeed in gaining support on Namibia plan A3 Poland enforces price increases A4 Around the World A5 Brandt cautions third world on aid A6 Text of Haig statement to Senate panel on sale of Awacs A8 Excerpts from New York speech by Israel's Foreign Minister A10 Government/Politics Fresno Mayor joins race for Sen- ate in California A19 Curb on identification of covert agencies faces vote A22 Supreme Court Roundup A23 Congressional veto power faces High Court review A23 Reagan said budget is not ba- rometer of social concern A28 Puerto Rico coming to grips with deep cuts in Federal aid A29 Koch is sharply criticized in Soviet newspaper article B1 Minorities prevail in five New York court choices B4 Washington Talk Briefing A24 Sen. Packwood opposes Awacs and his party's President A24 Royal box at Redskins games is considered a seat of power A24 Presidential stands on crime, 1905-1981 A24 General Around the Nation A14 Biologist in key role in battle against fruit fly A14 Death in ship 's brig has resulted in two courts-martial A18 Life in some New York suburbs includes a little farming B2 Environmental group pressing efforts to block Westway B7 Science Times Ions on the wind may cause emotional changes C1 Maya ingenuity is shown again, this time by their agriculture C1 How many humans have ever lived? 9% are still alive C1 About Education C1 Science Watch C2 Science Q&A C3 The Doctor's World: Importance of the anesthesiologist C3 New medical programs for a better-rounded physician C4 Science Library C5 Religion Cody case reported followed closely by Vatican A19 Industry/Labor Newspaper strike in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., enters fourth year A14 New York City's job growth has been largely in Manhattan B3 Arts/Entertainment "Nickleby" cast adopted last-minute accent changes C7 Marx Brothers heirs win suit on "Day in Hollywood" C7 Two books on recollections of Russia are reviewed C9 Montserrat Caballe sings with the Philharmonic C9 Three postmodern choreographers at Minneapolis festival C18 Barbara Cook's cabaret act packs the Savoy C18 Gary Coleman loses round in TV salary battle C19 Style Notes on Fashion B8 Milan: starring Armani B8 Affirmative action is backed B8 Obituaries Fred Lindstrom, ex-New York Giant, baseball hall of famer D31 Sports Royals beat Indians and clinch second-half title C11 Questions raised about Jets' last-minute strategy C11 Torre's coaching crew and Mets regroup C11 Rangers expect Rogers, new center, to be big asset C11 New opponent named for Joe Frazier C12 Canadiens lose Lambert to Buffalo in waiver draft C12 Dave Anderson on the Mets C13 Yankees head into playof fs in buoyant mov e C13 Giants plan to run with Carpenter at fullback C14 Features/Notes Man in the News: Ali Khameini, Iran's new President A12 Notes on People B11 Going Out Guide C6 Sports People C14 News Analysis Bernard Gwertzman on the tension between U.S. and Israel A1 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A30 All Savers - and all payers Foreign aid revealed Deadly colors Topics: longer, cleaner Letters A30 Sydney H. Schanberg: retreating in the Bronx A31 Tom Wicker: why build the MX at all? A31 David Fairbank White: reforging U.S. hulls A31 Adam Raphael: the Social Democrats, Britain's centrists A31

International Israel assailed Saudi Arabia, accusing it of being a ''major obstacle'' to peace in the Middle East and of ''a fanatic hatred of Jews and Israel.'' Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir made the charges in a 2,000-word address to the Foreign Policy Association in Manhattan four days after President Reagan suggested at a news conference that Israel might be interfering in American foreign policy by opposing the proposed sale of Awacs aircraft to Saudi Arabia. (Page A1, Column 5.) France will freeze some prices and take other steps to try to reduce its annual inflation rate to 10 percent from 14 percent, thus enabling French industry to take full advantage of the franc's devaluation. Besides the price freeze, Finance Minister Jacques Delors announced plans to defer some public spending increases and to seek wage guidelines with unions. (A1:2-3.)

The Kuwaiti Government has agreed to buy a big American oil drilling and production company for $2.5 billion in cash. The purchase of the Santa Fe International Corporation of Alhambra, Calif., announced yesterday, would apparently constitute the largest single Arab investment in the United States. The surprise move, coming in the wake of some private estimates that members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries might have as much as $200 billion invested in this country, is expected to touch off Government inquiries on the possible danger to the national interest. Hearings Possible Representative Benjamin S. Rosenthal, Democrat of Queens, chairman of a House commerce subcommittee that has been conducting hearings on OPEC investments, said in a telephone interview he would request that the Treasury ''ask Kuwait to hold off any further action pending a United States Government investigation.'' Mr. Rosenthal said his subcommittee would also investigate and ''may hold hearings.'' A Santa Fe spokesman said that Kuwait's interest in the company reflected ''an opportunity to diversify into another line of business, that is, petroleum services.'' He also noted that Kuwait was spending ''billions of dollars'' on expansion of its oil refineries and petrochemical industries and could use Santa Fe's engineering and construction subsidiary, C F Braun & Company, to help build them.

''I found out a long time ago that it was more important for me to convince the Commander in Chief than for the Commander in Chief to convince me.'' - Gen. David C. Jones, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (A1:4.)